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Rory Gallagher and Phil Lynott are two of the musicians included in the pages of the newly released Dictionary of Irish Biography. Published last November, the 9-volume Dictionary is edited by James McGuire and James Quinn, and contains 9,700 biographies of Irish men and women who made their mark on the world. It is the largest work ever written about the lives of the Irish people. A joint project of the Royal Irish Academy and Cambridge University Press, the dictionary took a total of 12 years to compile and spans over 2,000 years of Irish history. To include Rory Gallagher amongst the important personages of the past two milleniums seems a no brainer if Irish historians consider the realm of music important to the Irish legacy. Clearly Rory Gallagher and Phil Lynott are two of the greatest Irish exports in that field; particularly Rory, who blazed the trail in Irish Rock that all others followed. However, this was exactly the discussion on Newstalk 106-108 fm radio several weeks ago.

On the Sunday, May 9, 2010 broadcast of Talk History, Patrick Geoghegan and a panel of experts in musical and social history discussed the lives and careers of two of Ireland’s most famous rock musicians, Rory Gallagher and Phil Lynott, and whether their recent inclusion in the Dictionary of Irish Biography was deserved. Joining Patrick was Professor James Quinn, co-editor of the Dictionary of Irish Biography and author of the Phil Lynott entry in the biography, Colm O’Hare, journalist for Hot Press Magazine, and MarK McAvoy, Cork journalist and recent author of Cork Rock — from Rory Gallagher to the Sultans of Ping. (McAvoy’s book has been previously mentioned on this blog HERE.) You can listen to the podcast of the Rory Gallagher & Phil Lynott Talk History show here: Talk History, Rory Gallagher & Phil Lynott. While all agreed on the show that both musicians belonged in the distinguished volumes, one wonders why there could have been any doubt. So head out to your local library and check out “Volume 4, G to J” of the Dictionary of Irish Biography where Rory Gallagher is given his due. Don’t forget to bookmark Rory’s entry for future readers of the tome!

  Jacques Stotzem is an acoustic fingerstyle guitar player from Verviers, Belgium. He has recorded 3 vinyl albums and 11 CDs, and over the years has collaborated with such varied artists as harpist Thierry Crommen, guitarist Jacques Pirotton, and bassist Andre Klenes. In 2003 Avalon Guitars produced the “Jacques Stotzem Signature model” guitar and in 2006 Martin Guitars followed with the “OMC Jacques Stotzem Custom Edition.” Teja Gerken, of Acoustic Guitar Magazine calls him “A master at blending country blues-based technique with a neoclassical sense of melody and dynamics.” In the 2006 press release for the new “Jacques Stotzem Custom Martin Guitar, he is called a “stylistic chameleon” who transcends easy pigeonholing into the various genres of jazz, rock, blues, or folk:

Belgium guitarist Jacques Stotzem creates a fingerstyle landscape both intriguingly familiar and absolutely unique. A stylistic chameleon whose original compositions delve into blues, jazz, folk and even rock & roll, Stotzem transcends easy classification, but his polished and emotionally powerful playing has garnered fans in Europe, the United States and beyond. — Modern Guitars

On his latest CD, “Catch The Spirit” Jacques Stotzem turns to Rock ‘n Roll for inspiration and covers some of Rock’s classic tracks and transforms them into acoustical masterpieces. Using fingerpicks on the thumb and two fingers of the right hand, his ability to transform electric guitar classics such as U2’s “With or Without You,” Radiohead’s “No Surprises” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” is down right amazing. And nowhere does he shine more than in his interpretation of Rory Gallagher’s “Moonchild”. Recently I had a chance to ask Jacques a few questions about his admiration for the late, great, Irish legend, Rory Gallagher:

• Shadowplays: How long have you been a Rory fan?
• Jacques: I am Rory’s fan since I am 16. The first LP I bought was “Live In Europe”. I still remember the pleasure I had to discover the LP, I listened to it so many times. I bought it again recently on CD and what a joy to listen again to “Pistol Slapper Blues” or “Bullfrog Blues”!
• Shadowplays: Did you ever meet Rory?
• Jacques: No, unfortunately, I never met him and also I just saw him live once. I don’t remember exactly which year I saw him, but it should be around 77 or 78, it was in Liège (Hall Omnisport de Grivegnée). My dream was to meet him at least one time, but sadly, it never happened.
• Shadowplays: What is it about his music that made you want to cover his songs?
• Jacques: Even if I am an acoustic player, my favorite players are always electric players, so Rory and Jimi Hendrix are my two favorites. It’s for me always a challenge and a pleasure to try to find ways on the acoustic guitar to perform Rory’s music. To try to catch the original spirit and perform it on acoustic guitar. What I really love in Rory’s pieces is that his music was combining energy and melody.
• Shadowplays: Have you done any of his acoustic numbers?
• Jacques: No, not yet, at the moment I concentrate myself on his electric numbers like “Moonchild”, “Wayward Child”, “Shadow Play”, etc. I perform some pieces instrumentally, but I have also a duo project with a female singer (Géraldine Jonet), and we would like to make an acoustic tribute set to Rory. The singer is only 23, but she’s a big fan of Rory.

In 1989 MTV premiered their “MTV Unplugged” series. The show featured stripped-down acoustical performances by artist who were not usually known for such performances. Rory Gallagher would have been a fantastic artist for this series. Although his prowess as an acoustic player was well known — his live shows always had a few acoustic numbers thrown into the mix — to be able to hear Rory play his electric numbers on acoustic guitar would have been a feast for the ears. And on February 14, 1977, Rory did just that, at least briefly, on a show for Irish TV called “Me and My Music”. Rory played “Secret Agent” on his National acoustic guitar, and showed to the world that he didn’t need electricity to make his songs electrifying.

So I can hardly wait to listen to an acoustic tribute set of some of Rory’s best electric numbers by Jacques Stotzem and Géraldine Jonet. A couple of these songs have already made their way to youtube: Wayward Child and Keychain. What a welcome addition the duet of Jacques Stotzem and Géraldine Jonet would be to the Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival held in Ballyshannon each year. Barry O’Neill are you listening?